Midrash sa Job 14:1: Midrash Tanchuma & Midrash Tehillim

When the Holy One, blessed be he, contemplated fashioning man, he said to the Torah: Let us make man (Gen. 1:26). It replied: Master of the Universe, the man You wish to make is of few days, and full of trouble (Job 14:1), and he will sin. If You are not forbearing with him, it would be better that he should not come into the world. He retorted: Is it for nothing that I am described as Slow to anger and plenteous in loving-kindness (Num. 17:18)? Whereupon He began to collect the dust for the body of the first man from the four corners of the earth, so that no one part of the earth might say: “The dust of the body of man is mine.” If he took the dust from the east and the man passed away to the west, the earth of the west might say: “The dust of your body did not come from me, I will not welcome you.” Therefore He took the dust from the four corners of the world, so that wherever man man passes away the earth would welcome him, as it is written: For dust thou art (Gen. 3:19).

Another matter, a lamp to my feet. When did David say this verse? When he was going to the Valley of Rephaim. Nevertheless, he did not go to battle until he inquired with the Urim and Thummim if he should fight against the sons of Manasseh who fell upon him, as it is stated in Chronicles 1:12:21, "As he was going to Ziklag, Manasseh's raiders fell upon him, etc." They helped David and killed the raiders, as it is stated in Samuel 1:30:17, "And David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day, etc." And who was enlightening them? Lightning and thunder were lighting the way for him. "Be my light, O Lord, and my salvation." Similarly, when he was going to the Valley of Rephaim, he did not go to battle until he inquired with the Urim and Thummim. Also, when Samuel came to anoint David, the angels were arguing before the Lord, saying, "Master of the universe, why are you taking the kingship away from Saul and giving it to David?" He said to them, "I will show you the difference between Saul and David. Saul went and inquired with the Urim and Thummim. When he saw the Philistines, he said to the priest, 'Withdraw your hand,' and he did not finish what he was saying, as it is stated in Samuel 1:14:19, "And it came to pass, as Saul talked unto the priest, etc." But David, when the Philistines attacked him in the Valley of Rephaim, at that very moment, he began to inquire with the Urim and Thummim, as it is stated in Samuel 2:5:22-23, "And they continued to attack and scatter in the Valley of Rephaim. And David inquired again of God, and God said to him, 'Do not attack them from the front, rather circle around and come against them from the balsam trees, etc.' And David attacked them, etc." And why did He give him a sign with the tops of the balsam trees and not from behind them? Rabbi Berechiah said, "Because they were all thorns." And whenever Israel is in distress, etc. (Job 14:1) If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. Regarding the symbol given to Job, Rabbi Berechiah said that it was placed at the beginning of the book because it is full of thorns. As long as Israel is in distress, their suffering is before Him, as it says, "I am with him in trouble" (Psalm 91:15). When the Philistines approached and Israel saw them only eight cubits away, they asked David, "What shall we do?" He replied, "We have already been commanded from Heaven not to stretch out our hand against them until we see the tops of the trees waving." If we do reach out to them, they will kill us. It is better to die innocent than to die guilty. Instead, let us and you direct our eyes to our Father in Heaven. As soon as we put our trust in God, all the trees began to wave. They immediately reached out and struck the Philistines, as it says, "So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines" (2 Samuel 5:25). God said to His angels, "See what is between Saul and David. Who caused David to be saved and His word to shine upon him? Be a lamp to his feet."

Drink their mouths in the heavens. Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord?" (Exodus 5) Nebuchadnezzar said, "Who is the god who will deliver you from my power?" (Daniel 3:15) But I am constantly plagued and rebuked every morning. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said, "In this world, the male pursues the female, but in the future, the female will pursue the male," as it is said, "A woman shall surround a man" (Jeremiah 31:21). Just as in this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, pursues Israel to repent, in the future, Israel will pursue the Holy One, blessed be He, to do their will, as it is said, "A woman shall surround a man." (Ezekiel 36:27) "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you." Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Simeon Hasida, "In this world, if a person goes to pick figs on the Sabbath, the fig tree does not say anything. But in the future, if a person goes to pick figs on the Sabbath, the fig tree will cry out and say, 'Today is the Sabbath!'" In this world, if a man has relations with his wife while she is menstruating, there is no one to stop him. But in the future, if he tries to do so, the stone will cry out and say, "There is a menstruating woman here!" as it is said, "For the stone will cry out from the wall" (Habakkuk 2:11). Therefore, it is said, "How long will you stray? For she will be a firebrand before the Lord" (Jeremiah 31:21), meaning that they will repent and the Holy One, blessed be He, will do their will. Moreover, even the heavens will rain sweet wine for them, as it is said, "And it shall come to pass on that day, that the mountains shall drip sweet wine" (Joel 4:18). And this can only be understood as a prophecy, as it is said, "And He shall scatter to the south" (Ezekiel 20:47)....